The Ranger's Daughter
by Pixie Star Fire
Summary: Maria is the daughter of the most famed ranger, Halt. She would do anything to be a ranger. Running away, she seeks out a ranger to take her as an apprentice. But she gets more than she barganed for when she uncovers an attack lead by Morgaraths son. R
1. Chapter 1

Matthew, a first year Ranger's apprentice, trailed slowly behind his master on the way to Redmont castle. The legendary Will Treaty held his fiance, Alyss, in his arms. They spotted the looming castle Redmont in the distance, so the two Rangers both nudged their horses into a canter. Instead of riding strait to the castle, Will, Alyss, and Matthew pulled up to a small log cabin hidden in the woods.

Will quickly unstrapped and rubbed down Tug, eager to see his former master, Halt. Matthew took a bit more time rubbing his horse, Flame, down. He jogged to catch up with Will and Alyss, but something stopped him. He looked to his right, at the archers targets. A small, thin figure was shooting arrows, all of them hit dead center. This was a uncommon sight for Matthew, because the figure was surrounded by the Ranger's camouflage clock.

He ran ahead to Will and asked, "Will, does Halt have an apprentice?"

Will, of course, knew the unknown person well. "No, Matthew, he does not."

"But, Will, look!" cried Matthew. He pointed to the targets, only to find them deserted. "But... but..." he stammered.

Little to Matthew's knowing, the mysterious figure had slipped into the trees. It moved silently, a skill that all Ranger's must posses. A skill that takes years to learn and master. The figure walked slightly behind the group, in the forest. When the black haired Matthew stopped looking back at the glade and babbling, the figure slipped out of the woods to walk behind him. After several paces, the figure reached out a delicate hand and tapped Matthew on the back.

"AHHHHHHH!" screamed Matthew. He whirled around to face his attacker, only to find the small figure in the Ranger's cloak.

"And you call yourself a ranger's apprentice." said a critical, but yet very feminine voice criticized. The figure removed the cowl, revealing a cascade of long brown hair. The girls face was quite pretty, with sky blue eyes.

"Who...who are you?" stammered Matthew. He felt Will's presence behind him, and he heard his badly contained laughter.

"Matthew, meet Maria. Halt's daughter." said Will.


	2. Chapter 2

"Wha...what? Halt's daughter? How is that possible? Why is she dressed like a Ranger?" asked Matthew. He couldn't figure out how this was possible. Halt having a kid wasn't probable, but Halt having a _daughter_, who was being trained as _Ranger_ just wasn't possible in his mind. _What is the world coming to if a girl can be a ranger?_ was his only thoughts.

"Will! Oh it's so good to see you! What are you doing here? When did you get an apprentice?" cried Maria as she flung herself at the man she had known all her life and looked up to. Will laughed and hugged her back. He, Halt, Pauline, and Maria were the only ones who knew that Maria was not Halt's biological daughter. She was left on the Ward doorstep, like him. Pauline found her and brought her back to live in her apartments.

"Maria, you've grown! I'm here because Evelyn and Horace have decided to get married here, in the slightly more remote location than Castle Araluen. Matthew is my first-year apprentice, and now I know why Halt constantly was aggravated with me." said Will. To Matthew, he said, "Maria is a wardling that Halt and Pauline took a liking to and was adopted. I know that she would do anything to be Halt's official apprentice." Will added that last bit in a joking voice, for Maria's sake.

"Will, you go say hi to Dad, I'll unsaddle Tug with, er, Matthew!" Will looked a tad uneasy about handing Tug over to the girl. It's not that he didn't trust Maria, he was so used to taking Tug himself, he would just feel uneasy not doing it himself.

"Aw, Will! You can trust me. I am your mentor's daughter, after all." she added the last bit in a fake-flirtatious voice, due to the fact Alyss was heading over. "Anyway, Tug would probably love to see Blizzard again." Seeing that Matthew was, once again, lost, Maria added; "Blizzard is my horse."

"Maria! It's so good to see you after our trip to visit Horace!" said Alyss. Tall and blond, she had been Will's girlfriend for as long as Maria could remember.

"It's good to see you to, Alyss." Finally agreeing, Will handed Tug's bridle over to Maria, and the apprentice and the Ranger's daughter headed towards the stables. Will gave Alyss a sorrowful sidelong glance and said; "I hope she takes the news well. It's not likely, but it might happen." The couple walked into castle Redmont to great their mentors, Halt and Pauline.

A/N: Ohhh... ! You'll have to see what is being hidden from Maria! I need some names for Morgarath's son. Please send me a PM with your ideas. Do you think I should do a chapter on Halt, Will, and Pauline when Maria vanishes? I like reviews and opinions!


	3. Chapter 3

Will's apprentice, Matthew, disappeared the moment he finished unsaddling his horse. Maria sighed, she couldn't see what Will say in here. She flipped the hood of her cloak up, hiding her face from view. She smiled and strode across the vast lawn and into Redmont castle. Her distinctive Ranger cloak earned her many stares, but Maria ignored them. She was definitely used to them, being an almost-apprentice ranger and the famed ranger Halt's daughter.

Maria slipped silently through the halls of the castle she called home. She knew her way by heart, and her padded feet made no noise when they struck the floor, propelling her the final few meters to her parent's rooms. She opened the door silently, her mother must have gotten fed up with the rust and had someone clean it off, and slipped into the sitting room. Maria quickly became aware that she had stumbled upon a conversation that was extremely private, to say the least.

"Pauline, what are we going to do?" Halt said, sorrow seeping into his voice.

"About what?" the elegant diplomat said. She knew exactly what her husband was talking about, but she didn't let on.

Maria slipped into the hallway beside the living room and peered around the corner, observing them without them knowing.

"Maria, Pauline! You know what I'm talking about! We can't have her living this, this, lie!" cried Halt, a bit louder than before. Pauline sighed, she wanted her adopted daughter to follow her dreams, but her increasingly stubborn husband was making this difficult.

"Pauline, you know Maria can never be a Ranger." Halt said softly. Maria's stomach plummeted, along with her hopes and dreams. She stomped around the corner she was hiding behind, startling her adoptive parents.

"What do you mean I can't be a Ranger?" cried out Maria. The tears that welled up in her eyes hurt Halt, but he had to voice his opinion on about what his adopted daughter's future.

"It's too dangerous, Maria. I don't want to loose you." Halt tried to explain, but Maria cut him off.

"If too dangerous for me, than why has my entire life been dedicated to Ranger training? I live, breathe, and love everything Ranger! And now you tell me that the one thing in life that I have wanted in my life more than anything can't happen because it's too dangerous? Because my own father won't teach me? Thanks for nothing _Dad_!" Maria spat at her father. She turned and sprinted into her room, her cloak falling to the ground where she stood.

Halt walked over and picked up his daughter's fallen cloak from the floor. He sighed, couldn't his daughter see that he was only looking out for her? He turned around, and came face-to-face with his livid wife. Pauline glare was as frightening as his own.

"Way to go. You just crushed your daughter's hopes and dreams." said Pauline. She glided past him, towards his daughter's room. Halt heard his wife try to coax their adopted daughter out of her room, but with no avail. Halt's shoulders slouched.

Will, unknown to Halt, had slipped into the room. He took one look at Halt's posture and the Ranger cloak he held in his hand, and said; "I guess she didn't take the news well." Halt glared at him. Will turned and ran as fast as he could out of Halt's rooms, before Halt could get his bow and arrows.

Later that night, when all of the castle was long asleep, a petite figure with a small pack crept out of her rooms. It darted through the halls and out of the castle without anyone knowing the difference. The sentries barely blinked when the figure passed them in the shadows. It approached the Ranger cabin but passed right by it, heading around to the stables. The deep cowl of her Ranger cloak fell, revealing long chestnut brown tresses. Maria's white horse looked up and whinnied a greeting. What are you doing up so late? the gesture seemed to say.

"Come on Blizzard. We have to go!" Maria whispered fiercely to her Ranger horse. Blizzard was saddled without too much complaint. As the pair rode out of the stable, Maria looked back at the castle she called home for all her life.

"If it is a Ranger you don't want be to become, than a Ranger I shall be." Maria whispered the words that she had wrote down for her parents to find the next morning. Then she turned Blizzard in a half circle and cantered away.


	4. Chapter 4

_We take a break from our runaway heroine to see what happens when Halt, Pauline, and Will find out Maria is gone_.

Halt paced the hallway in fury. His stubborn daughter refused to come out of her room, or even answer him at the least. Pauline had tried to sweet-talk her daughter out of her her room with her diplomatic charms, but she remained a hermit in her room. Will was avoiding him at all costs, Halt didn't blame him. He had threatened to shoot his former apprentice with his bow and arrows. He never missed his target.

"Maria, you get your sorry butt out of your room right now or so help me…!" Halt threatened, but with no avail. _Maybe telling her she couldn't be a Ranger wasn't such a good idea... _It was too late now. Pauline walked over. She had forgiven him, but if she couldn't get Maria out of her room, no one could. She glided over to her fuming husband.

"Halt, did you try opening the door?" Pauline asked in a hushed voice. Halt opened his mouth to angrily reply that he did, in fact, try the door. But he hadn't. So Halt closed his mouth and walked over to his daughter's bedroom door.

With a twist of the knob, the door swung open with a creak. Halt let out a small grin. His daughter knew the dangers of an oiled door hinge. That grin disappeared the moment he stepped into Maria's room. In a word, it was empty. Her oak bed was made, there was no broken hearted teenager weeping under the covers. Maria's bow and arrow quiver were gone, along with her two Ranger knives. Halt looked around, taking all of this in.

Pauline walked past him to the bed. She picked up a small piece of parchment off Maria's pillow. She opened it and scanned the contents. A small gasp emitted from her, she sat down suddenly on the bed. Halt walked over and managed to wrestle the small scrap of parchment out of his wife's grasp. He read the few short words on the paper, in Maria's handwriting.

_If it is a Ranger you don't want me to become, than a Ranger I shall be. _

Seventeen words that will haunt Halt forever.

Will, not his usual cheerful self, walked in Maria's bedroom door. He had news for Halt and Pauline, news that would probably get him shot full of arrows. The news was in the form of a question, one that Halt might know the answer to. Will was pretty sure he knew the answer, but he hoped he was wrong. Halt looked up at his former apprentice and scowled. Will took a deep breath and said;

"Halt, did Maria go out for a ride this morning? Blizzard is gone." Halt gasped. He stood up and ran out the door, shoving Maria's goodbye letter into Will's hands as he flew by. Will scanned the document. Fear clenched his gut. He had been right. Maria had run away. Will ran out of the room too, just as Alyss walked in to greet Pauline.

"Lady Pauline! What on earth is wrong?" gasped Alyss as she rushed to comfort her former master. Two brief words summed up her fears.

"Maria's gone."

"Oh, no!" Alyss exclaimed. The small girl in the Ranger cloak she had come to love as a sister was gone.

At the stables, Halt and Will examined the ground around the stable, trying in vain to find some sort of clue to where Maria could have gone. The dew that had coated the ground was making the tracks that Blizzard had made very hard to see. It was as if the weather was covering up for Maria. Halt grabbed the nearest stone and hurled it into the woods in frustration. Will jolted up from the ground he was observing.

"Halt, I have an idea! Tug and Abelard would have seen where Maria and Blizzard would have gone!" Will exclaimed, thrilled with his stroke of genius. Halt didn't dare himself to hope too much. The two men raced into the stable, only to emerge from it a minute later with their horses in tow. Tug yanked his reins out of Will's hand and trotted back into the warm comfort of the stables, almost breaking Will's arm in the process.

"Hey! Tug, you get back out here and help us find Maria!" Will shouted, stomping after his horse. Halt sighed and could only hope that his horse didn't rebel like Tug did. Abelard stood across from him, his gaze clearly saying _This is your fault_.

"What? My fault? How?" whispered Halt. How could his own horse be blaming him? _You told Maria she couldn't become a Ranger. You broke her heart. Therefore it is your fault. Don't expect help from me_. Abelard accused Halt with a withering gaze. Halt dropped the reins in shock, as he realized that his horse's accusations were true. Abelard promptly turned and trotted back into the stables. Will came out, bruised from his round of tug-o-war with Tug. It was evident he lost. Seeing Halt standing there looking at the ground, Will asked;

"What wrong?"

Halt replied in a hushed tone, "This is my fault. I thought I was helping Maria by refusing to take her on as my official apprentice. I was wrong, and now she's gone." Will had never seen or heard Halt blame himself. He was dumbfounded.

"Who told you this?" demanded Will. I swear, whoever told Halt this was his fault...

"Abelard did." answered Halt, interrupting Will's wonderful thoughts of revenge.

"What? You talk to your horse too?" asked Will. He had thought he was the only one.

"Yes. All the Ranger's do. Didn't you know that?" replied Halt.

"No, I didn't. Let's go inside and get some coffee. I'm freezing." said Will.

"Sure." replied Halt in his usual grim fashion.

Will looked at his former mentor and said, "Halt, we'll find her. You, me, and Horace can leave as soon as he gets here. We will find Maria."

Halt looked at the man he considered his son. "Thanks, Will." he said. Halt knew that everything Will had just said was true. They would find Maria.


	5. Chapter 5

Maria looked across the Fissure in contempt, her cloak cowl hiding the tears that streamed down her face. She rode for two days to get here. By now her father and Will would have realized that she was gone, and would have sent out a warning to all the Rangers. She sighed and kicked the burnt stub of wood, the only reminder of Will's heroics that burned Moragarth's bridge. Maria wished that she could be more like Will. He was brave, strong, and a Ranger. Her father loved him. _If I where more like Will, Father would train me to be a Ranger..._ thought Maria.

A flash of brown blurred across the Mountains of Rain and Night. It didn't escape Maria's Ranger trained eyes. The shape had looked like something that Halt had told her about, but she couldn't place it. A rustle came from behind Maria. She whirled in Blizzards saddle, trying in vain to locate the sound's source. Panic began to well up in her throat, and Maria tried to swallow it. _Fear makes the enemy think that they have something over you,_ Halt's voice chimed in her head.

With a mighty crash, four large, furry creatures broke free of the under brush.

Maria gasped and tried to force her terrified horse to get away, but with no avail. Furry arms grasped her and Blizzard, forcing her to stay still. _Wargels!_ her mind screamed at her. _Why didn't I see that before? _

"We has the spy." a slow, raspy voice drawled out. Maria had no doubt that the

Wargel leader had spoken.

"Good. Bring him to me." a sleek, well tuned voice replied. Out of the trees stepped a pale, gaunt man. He looked like someone everyone in the kingdom of Araluen had feared. Moragarth. Maria's cowl hid her face, so she was assumed to be a a male. The rising fear had conquered her stomach, and it took all of her Ranger patience not to vomit on this strange man's shoes.

"Hello, lad. I am Olc, son of Moragarth. I am glad you showed up, lad. Deliver this message to whomever sent you. I am coming, and I want revenge against the country that killed my father. Wargel, remove the spy's cowl, I want to see the fear in his eyes." said Olc. A rough Wargel paw gripped the back of Maria's cowl and tore it back, taking some of her hair with it. Cascades of chestnut-brown tresses billowed down her back. Olc seemed shocked, and the Wargels did nothing.

Maria glared, a very well-trained glare that she learned from the feared Ranger

Halt himself, and spat, "I will deliver you message Olc, but with one condition. I hope to slay you myself in a battle you will never forget."

Olc chuckled. "Those are fighting words, lassy. Very well, release the Ranger brat. I expect a battle that will be remembered forever! If I don't see you on the battlefield, I will hunt you down. Come now, nothing should keep the little Ranger lass from delivering my message."

With a grunt, the Wargels left Maria and Blizzard and they stumbled after their master into the undergrowth. Maria felt faint, and clung to Blizzard for support. _Moragarth's son... battle to remember... what have I gotten myself into?_ thought Maria as the blackness consumed her.

Gilan plodded through the woods in search of a figure in a Ranger cloak that had been seen by a farmer. But Gilan's mind was somewhere else. He had just received a note from his former master, Halt, that his daughter had run away. Of all the reasons for her to run away, it was because Halt had refused her request to become a Ranger. _Smooth move Halt, smooth move_, thought Gilan. Perhaps the Ranger sighting and Maria's disappearance are connected, but why would Maria come to the Fissure? He already knew. Maria envied Will, his bravery, his loyalty. Gilan knew that Maria thought if she could be more like Will, she could be a Ranger.

By now, Gilan had reached the Fissure. He hated it there. The sight constantly

reminded him of when Will was captured and it was his fault. But this is where

one of Will's greatest victories took place, so no doubt Maria would come here.

But how will I know it's her? thought Gilan. He hasn't seen Maria in years.

He rode closer to the spot where Moragarth's bridge once stood. A flash of white caught his eye. Gilan rode onward towards the white. He gasped at the sight. A small white horse was lay one the ground, trying to protect the small, Ranger-cloak clad figure next to it. Gilan leaped off Blaze and ran to the fallen figure. The figure stirred, her long hair falling away from her face as she stared at Gilan with a blank expression.

"Hold on, I'm going to take you back to my cabin." said Gilan as the Ranger girl slipped back into incoherency. He lifted her body and placed in onto Blaze, with much ado from her horse. Gilan made the silent signal, and the horse quieted.

_Good thing my cabin is close by_... thought Gilan.

After about an hour or so of blacking out, Maria woke with a scream. A tall man scrambled away from the coffee he was making to come and check on her. It was

Gilan, she realized after a few minutes. But he didn't know it was her.

"What wrong?" cried Gilan. Although he was a Ranger, he was kindhearted and didn't like anyone to be hurt on his watch. The girl was panting, as if she had just woke from an awful nightmare.

"Morgarath's son." she gasped, "He's going to attack us! He has the Wargels under his control and everything!" Maria was near hysterics. Gilan walked over and gathered the sobbing girl into his arms. She clung to him like a lifeline, the only think that kept her from droning in her fear.

"Are you sure that this is true?" asked Gilan.

"I'm positive." Maria snapped, getting defensive, "He told me himself, to tell King Duncan that he wanted to get revenge against the kingdom that killed his father!" Deep down, Maria was glad that Gilan hadn't asked for her name.

"Oh. Well then, we have a long ride ahead of us, now don't we? Would you like some coffee?" asked Gilan. Maria nodded viciously.

Two riders clad in the Ranger molted cloaks approached Castle Arelean. A

elegant carriage passed them by a little while back. Finally reaching the castle

gate, the riders entered. Leaving their horses with the stable master, they proceded on to the Kings Chamber.

King Duncan sighed as he finished up some paper work before leaving for

Redmont. Horace and his Cassie had just left, but he had some paperwork to finish up before leaving. He picked up a note with the simple oakleaf insignia of the Rangers. Tearing it open, he scanned the letters contents. It was a letter from Halt to all the Rangers and the King to keep an eye out for his runaway daughter. Duncan leaned back, pondering the letter, when two figures in the typical Ranger garb burst through the door.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" cried the King.

"Gilan, Ranger fourty-three. This is a girl I found by the Fissure. She has uncovered a dangerous and deadly plot." said Gilan. Maria quaked in fear behind him, she had never met Cassandra's father before.

The cowering girl did not escape the King's eye. He felt bad for the mud-covered girl, but what could be so important that a Ranger would come bursting in demanding that he listen to hat she had to say?

"What did you find out, hon?" asked King Duncan in a soft voice. He was trying to avoid frightening the girl any more than he had already.

"I saw Wargels," Maria whispered. "They captured me and a man who claimed to be

Olc, the son of Moragarth's said to tell you that he wants revenge. He looked like my father described him."

"Wow. By the way, who is your father?" asked the King. Gilan nodded, agreeing with the King. Who was this strange girl's father?

"Ranger Halt is my father. I am Maria. Please don't send me back! I want to help, and Olc told me that if I didn't fight he would hunt me down!" Maria cried. Gilan and the King looked shocked. If she gets hurt, Halt will have our

hides. But she has all of the information about Olc, so we have to let her

fight. thought Duncan and Gilan.

"You can stay, but by no means are you fighting." King Duncan said.

"Thank you so much!" cried the girl.

"You're welcome." Duncan said. Gilan wasn't so sure that this was a good idea.

_She will find someway to fight this Olc character. I'll think of someway for her to fight without being in the center of things. Gilan swore_.

"Wait!" Gilan called. "Wargels are afraid of horses, right?" King Duncan and

Maria nodded. Gilan continued, "So why don't we have Maria lead a cavalry of horses? That way she can fight, but still be relatively safe."

Maria loved that idea. "Yes! Olc will probably go through Three Steps Pass because he wants to reenact that battle, but he thinks that he will win instead of us! It's perfect!"

"Alright. If anyone asks, Gilan came up with this idea. I don't want Halt to kill me if she gets hurt." said King Duncan. The Ranger's laughed, and they headed off to plan a war.

A/N: I hope you liked this chapter! The name Olc means evil in Irish, thanks for all of your wonderful name ideas! I don't know where Gilan was posted before his promotion, so lets just say that he lives there still and it was near the Fissure... Just to let you know, there are only a few chapters left! Sorry! Dodges _stuff everyone is throwing at me._ Sorry, but it's true!


	6. Chapter 6

Will sat atop Tug, looking at Three Steps Pass. Today was the day that the final battle would be fought. He had been called to fight, and he had had to go, even though he and Halt hadn't found Maria. Halt refused to come and fight, and Will could tell that Maria running away hurt him if he didn't want to fight. Will recalled a memory that made his blood boil.

* * *

Will raced into the castle after handing Tug over to the stable master himself. A letter had come out to all of the Rangers saying that a battle was coming and that their help and skills where needed. He was specifically requested to meet with the King, but he had no clue why it was him that the King needed to see. Reaching the chamber doors, Will took a deep breath and entered.

King Duncan sat behind his elegant dest, clearly waiting for him. Gilan stood behind him.

"Sit down, Will." said King Duncan, motioning to the chair in front of him. Gilan nodded his head in a Halt-like maner of welcome. It made Will sad, to see his mentor in such low spirits.

"You no doubt want to know why I requested you to meet with me." the King said. "I'm going to fill you in on just how this sinister plot had unfolded. Gilan had been pursuing a Ranger impersonator, when he can across someone who had met the person who had uncovered the plot. Olc, Morgarath's son, wants to reenact the Three Steps Pass battle. She wants you to meet her."

"Her?" Will asked. A small figure in a Ranger cloak entered the room, the cloak's cowl hiding the face. The cowl fell, revealing Maria's face to him. Will gasped, anger filling him.

"Maria! What are you doing here? Go back to Redmont! You're just a girl." Will shouted, lunging for the girl. She jumped back, but Will was too fast for her. He grabbed her cloak in his iron grip hoisting her up to look her in the eye.

"Do you know the pain you've caused your father?" He hissed. "He has been looking non-stop for you! He's dying inside."

Maria never thought she would ever say this, but she was truly terrified of the man who held her captive. Gilan, sensing this, rushed around King Duncan, who was staring blankly at the scene before him, and unlatched Will's hands from the helpless girl's collar. Maria fell to the ground in a heap. She looked up at Will, the man she idolized and looked up to, and she began to cry. She pushed herself away and struggled to her feet, fleeing the room. Gilan watched the brokenhearted girl exit the room, the girl he felt protective of, and he felt anger rising in him. Will seemed to just realize what eh had doen to the girl who was like a sister to him as Gilan turned to meet his eyes. King Duncan had followed the girl out of the room.

"Now you've done it!" shouted Gilan. "She discovered the Olc's plot, she planed this war with us! It's Halt's fault to begin with, Maria is everything we look for in Ranger apprentices! If she hadn't run away, we would have been ambushed and overrun. Do you even know why she went to the Fissure in the first place?" Gilan let the question hang in the air like a deadly poison. "No." Will muttered under his breath.

"She wanted to be like you!" Gilan continued. Will looked shocked. "She looked up to you, was even jealous of you! You had everything that she ever wanted. You where a Ranger, Halt loved you like the son that he never had! Maria thought that if she could be more like you, Halt would love her for her." Will's shoulders had slouched and tears where running down his face. Will whispered,

"The only way I saw it was Maria being stubborn and hurting Halt. I never thought of it from her view, never realized how jealous she was of me. Why did I do that to the girl who was like a sister to me? I'll be lucky if she ever speaks to me again."

Gilan softened. "I know."

* * *

Will shook his head in disgust at the memory. Maria wouldn't even stay is the same room as him anymore. Why he thought it was a good idea to frighten her so, he would never know. But now he was paying the price for his actions, he had lost the trust of his little sister. But he had just found out that Maria would be leading a horse cavalry_. Who in Arulean came up with that idea? _

_Doo do doooo!_ The horn sounded that the enemy had been sighted. Will watched as the Wargels burst out of the opening in the mountains. With his shout, vollies upon vollies of arrows rained upon the enemy. Will watched in satisfaction as the wolf-like beasts fell to the ground with cries of pain. The remaining Wargels regrouped around the man that was the spitting image of Morgarath. Just like Maria said they would. With a war cry, the five groups of six riders in arrow formation drove into the heart of the army, scattering and slaughtering. At the tip of the lead arrow, Maria rode atop her snowy white horse, Blizzard. Will smiled in satisfaction.

* * *

Maria looked around through the chaos the battlefield had become, searching for her prey. She spotted his in the center, trying to regain control over his army. With a smirk, she steered Blizzard in that direction with her knees as she loaded her recurve bow.

Blizzard rode straight towards him, they where three meters away when she released her arrow. It drove straight through his stomach and out the other side. Maria rode right past him, her fatal mistake. With a lunge, Olc drove the sword into Maria with his last ounce of strength. Maris gasped as the sword was driven into her gut, pain shooting through her body. Olc had fallen off his horse. He looked up at the injured girl, giving her a bloody grin as she gasped for breath.

"I win." he said with his last breath. After that, he fell face-first into the dirt. As if in deja-vo, the remaining Wargels became like lost toddlers, wandering about and dropping their weapons. Maria whispered, "Find Will." Blizzard cantered off.

* * *

Will was looking from his post atop a hill for any sign of Maria. When the Wargels dropped their weapons, he knew the battle was over. But there was no sign of the rangers daughter to be found. A white object was speeding towards his post. Will immediately recognized it as Blizzard. But something wasn't right.

The rider, clad in a ranger cloak, looked like it was in agony. Something matted the loyal horse's coat, altering it's color. Blood! Will realized in horror. The rider, he hoped, was not Maria. But sadly, it was.

"Maria!" Will shouted. He cantered down the hill and to the small horse's side. Maria tumbled off the saddle and into his arms. Will began to look her over for any injuries, and gasped at the gruesome sight. A massive broadsword was lodged deep in Maria's gut.

"No." whispered Will.

Maria looked up at him, and she smiled. Will said, "This is all my fault." His voice was choked with grief.

"No, Will" Maria whispered in a dead quiet voice. "It isn't. Tell Dad it wasn't his fault either." Maria eyes began to droop, and she muttered "So tired..."

Will, shocked into silence, could see where this was heading. "No! Maria, don't go to sleep! PLEASE!" Maria looked at him, as if saying Why can't I sleep?

Will carefully lifted Maria into his arms. He needed help, and he needed it fast. Horace wasn't drafted because of his wedding, so there was only one more person who could help him.

"GILAN!"

**Author Note: Please don't be mad! FYI: Flamers go on my death list, so don't get any ideas. Hope you liked!**

**Vote! Should Maria live?**

**A=Yes**

**B=No**

**I love opinions, but I get final vote. Sorry! Vote and Review plz!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Welcome to the last chapter of The Ranger's Daughter. I am soooooo sorry I have neglected to update. School is heartless, merciless, and pointless. I had to say, if so many of you hadn't wanted Maria to live, she would have died. So don't flame me! Read and review!**

Halt was worn out. He had been riding for a few days now, with Will's annoying apprentice at his side, it was just like having Will with him. Word had gotten around the country of the strange female Ranger that had won the war for Arulean. As soon as Halt had heard, he was packed and off with out so much as a goodbye for his wife. Halt swore, he would shoot whoever let his Maria fight. Along the way, he had met up with the fifteen year old Matthew, with even more grave news.

"Who are you?" Halt grunted to the teen in the Ranger molted cloak who rode beside him. His jet-black hair was wind blown, and his eyes held a vast amount of sorrow that Halt couldn't figure out.

"Matthew. I'm Will's apprentice. He set me a note to give to you, because he knew you would already be on your way to visit Maria. She's an amazing girl. But there is something you should know about the battle." The boy said. Halt didn't like hat way he was talking about Maria, but he would have to keep an eye on this boy around his daughter. But he wanted to know what he knew.

"Yeah? So what don't I know about my daughter fighting?" Halt growled in his most threatening one that would send most people running. This Matthew barely flinched at his tone.

Matthew swallowed hard. "She almost died." He mumbled, hoping the grizzled Ranger hadn't heard him. He wasn't that lucky.

"WHAT? What happened?" Halt demanded, and the boy flinched under the elder Ranger's accusing eyes.

"H-here, sir. Will told m-me to give this to you." He stammered, holding out a shaking hand with a piece of paper clutched in his shaking fist. Halt glared at him before snatching the paper and he began to read.

_Halt,_

_Please don't kill me. It wasn't my idea for Maria to fight, it was Gilan's! Kill him, not me! So, if you are reading this, Matthew must have caught up to you. So, I'm no going to say this any other way._

_Maria almost died._

_She had ridden up and shot Olc, but he stabbed her in the gut. The sword missed her vital organs, or so said Malcolm, and she is going to be fine. But you might want to get here soon, before Gila takes Maria on as his apprentice. Just saying._

_Don't kill me!_

_Will_

Halt grunted. Matthew looked at him. "So, can I come with you?" he asked. Halt nodded. It would be about a two day ride to the castle.

xXxXxXx

Maria sat in the highest branches of one of the trees in the courtyard, looking around and thinking. There was soft white cloth wrapping her stomach area where Olc stabbed her. Will and Gilan had been terrified that she might not survive, and then Halt would then kill them. But she, with the help of a healer named Malcolm, had pulled through.

Maria looked around from her perch at the top of the tree. Another cloak-clad Ranger entered the courtyard, scanning the area. Maria froze, scarcely breathing as Will's gaze locked on to her hiding spot. He walked right over to the tree, rubbed his hands together, and grabbed the lowest branch. Maria watched as Will clamored up the tree and seated himself next to her. He did _not _look happy.

"What do you think you're doing up here? You got stabbed in the gut a week ago! Anyone with and common sense would be in bed." hissed Will. Maria grinned sheepishly.

"I can't just _sit still_! I am a Ranger, after all. What are you doing up here?" Maria replied. She had forgiven Will for his outburst after she had seen how worried he was about her.

"Someone is here to see you. Come on, if you can get up here, you can get yourself down." Will teased. His hopped off his branch and jumped to a lower one. Not to be outdone, Maria noticed a larger branch further down than Will's. Maria leaped and flew past Will, who shouted in surprise. She landed and looked up at Will, who was grasping his heart and panting.

"Come on, slowpoke! Don't want to keep who-ever-it-is waiting!" called Maria as she hopped from branch to branch. The two Rangers landed on the ground soundlessly, looking at the figure in the Ranger cloak. He tossed his cowl back. Maria beamed and launched herself at him.

"Matthew!" she cried. Said Ranger's apprentice grabbed the girl and they hugged. Will knew better than to think that he was the only one watching the two teens. He looked over to the clump of tree and at a glowering and deadly Halt.

The teens broke apart at the sound of a clearing throat. Halt glared daggers at Matthew, who in turn, spun and ran. Maria, in her defense, looked a bit sheepish. Halt walked over to her, and she cringed.

"Why did you fight, Maria? You know you didn't have to prove anything to me, your mother already did that." Halt said. Maria looked up at him.

"I discovered Olc's plot. He said if I didn't fight, he would find me and kill me. If I didn't have to prove anything to you, then why can't I be your apprentice?"

Halt sighed. "Maria, I was stupid. I thought I was protecting you, but I was only keeping you from your destiny. Would you still like to be my apprentice?"

"Of course! When can I start? I already know and have mastered the basics of the Ranger's art, so can I start at an advanced level?" a hyper Maria blurted. Halt chucked.

"Come on." He said.

xXxXxXx

Maria waltzed out of Crowley's office, gazing at her new bronze oakleaf and listened to her father violently yell at Crowley, trying to learn the name of whoever thought it was a good idea fro her to lead the calvary, but she didn't care. She was a Ranger's apprentice, and her name was going to go down in history under the category of "legendary Ranger", along with her father and Will.

Maria looked up from her oakleaf oogling. Gilan was walking past her with a worried and slightly horrified look on his face.

"Gilan? Is something wrong?" Maria asked.

"The Temiji have launched war ships. They are en-rout to Arulean." Gilan whispered. Maria gasped.

The life of a Ranger's apprentice is never a boring one.

**The story is done! Thank you to all of my amazing reviewers who kept me writing! I have TWO, yes two, polls for you!**

**Poll #1:**

**Should there be a sequel?**

**A: Yes**

**B: No**

**Poll #2:**

**If there is a sequel, should there be romance between Maria and Matthew?**

**A: Yes**

**B: No**

**Review and Vote! I need both!**


End file.
